THE BOX

The boxes can be overlooked by most, but for some, they offer a timeless reminder of innovation and design. Collectors love boxes, in the interest of being thorough we cannot overlook such a big part of cubing, the packaging. The GAN 251 M Pro/Leap/Leap UV all offer the same packaging (apart from names on the side of the box) whereas the Air is in a smaller package due to not coming with all of the accessories.

THE CUBE

Most of the 251 M cubes look almost identical, however there are 2 which stand out slightly. The Leap UV offers a very glossy/shiny exterior and is absolutely beautiful up close. The GAN 251 M features black internals which can be seen in the gap created by the 4 corners in the center of each face.

Corners / internals

All of the newer GAN 251 M cubes (Air/Pro/Leap/UV) feature magnets in both the corners and the primary internal pieces. The original GAN 251 M only offers the standard corner-corner design. 

THE CORE

The cores of the GAN 251 M Air/Pro/Leap are all very similar with the original GAN 251 M looking extremely different with black internals, dual magnets on each of the corner pieces and an older style core. The GAN 251 M features the older style screw-on GES V3 nuts whereas the newer GAN 251 M Air/Pro/Leap all feature the newer GES V3+.

The GAN 251 M Air and GAN 251 M are the only 2 cubes in the current line up of 251 M cubes that do not feature the core-corner magnets. 

Whilst the Air is still a magnet cube it does differ to the original 251 M due to the magnet placement. In the original 251 M we see a Corner-Corner magnet layout, in the Air we see the magnets in the corners and in the primary internal pieces. This offers a weaker magnetic feel than its counterparts. 

If you are after a 2x2 with a strong magnetic feel we suggest the GAN 251 M Pro or Leap. The GAN 251 M is a medium-strong magnetic feel but as of late 2021, slightly outdated. 

Note: The Leap and Leap UV both feature larger core magnets than the Pro. If you look closely at the images below you can see the size difference. Magnets in the core of the 251 M Pro are approximately 3mm in diameter whereas the magnets in the Leap core are approximately 5mm. This makes for a very strong magnetic click on the Leap versions.

Magnets/corner stalks

Adjustment magnets are present in the GAN 251 M Pro and Leap cubes only. There are 3 settings of strength, weak, medium and strong. These can be changed using the flat head screwdriver provided in the accessory box. 

As you can also see, the Air and 251 M do not have the magnet at the base of the stalk like the Pro and Leap do, this is due to only the Pro and Leap offering the corner-core magnet layout (see above).

Note: There is 1 corner on both the Pro and Leap cubes that does NOT offer have a magnet adjustment slider.
This can be seen above in the 'CORE' section of this article.

whats in the box?

We often receive emails and messages about the display boxes that come with the newer GAN cubes.  The flip box (on the right in the images below) is included with the GAN 251 M Pro/Leap and Leap UV. The GAN 251 M original includes the clear display box which can be turned into the GAN 2155 (additional parts required).

GAN 251 M Air - Solution Pamphlet, instruction manual, tension tool
GAN 251 M Pro - Solution Pamphlet, instruction manual, tension tool, screwdriver, GAN pouch, GAN flip box, B/W/P GES
GAN 251 M Leap/UV - Solution Pamphlet, instruction manual, tension tool, screwdriver, GAN pouch, GAN flip box, G/W/P GES
GAN 251 M - Solution Pamphlet, instruction manual, tension tool, GAN pouch, GAN clear display box, B/Y/P GES v3

adjustments on the 251

The newer GAN 251 M cubes such as the Leap and Pro, allow the cuber to have 24 different customisation settings, ensuring that their cube suits their turning style.

Note: To remove a GES tension nut you have to ensure the nuts is on the Ø symbol.

Note: There are 2 settings to adjust the center travel on each nut. 0.6 and 0.8.  The smaller the number, the tighter the cube will feel.

Purple - Better corner cutting but higher chances of pops and twists
Blue - Moderate corner cutting Moderate chance of pops and twists
Green - Default 50/50
Clear - Lower corner cutting but less chance of pops and twists